Tom Cruise flew in an F/A-18 with a Hornet driver from an airbase in northern California

The main image of this article shows Tom Cruise (wearing a customized U.S. Navy HGU-68/P flight helmet) after he had to halt filming on Top Gun: Maverick because of a mid-air “flap caution” forced an unscheduled landing.

The 56-year-old action star has been shooting Top Gun Sequel this month, but had to cut Monday’s shoot short after mid-air flight issues.

As reported by TMZ, Cruise flew in an F/A-18 with a Hornet driver from an airbase in northern California.

The U.S. Naval Aviator acts as the actor’s double, while Cruise sits at the back of aircraft with cameras facing his point of view.

According to Express the two were snapped at an airbase in Nevada, having had to make an unscheduled landing after the jet saw a “flap caution” mid-air.

However Maverick and his pilot soon flew back to California in another plane though.

The highly anticipated sequel to 1986’s classic/action drama starring Tom Cruise as a U.S. Naval Aviator has been delayed a year to summer 2020.

The movie was assigned a theatrical release date of Jul. 12, 2019 last year, but unfortunately for eager fans, they’ll have to wait quite a while longer to see Cruise’s titular character take to the skies once again. Paramount in fact has delayed the sequel nearly an entire year, assigning it a new release date of Jun. 26, 2020.

The added production time will enable the filmmakers to properly coordinate and design the many breathtaking aerial sequences planned to be part of the sequel. Considering how well-remembered Top Gun’s flight scenes are today, it’s no surprise that those involved with Maverick intend for the sequel to up the ante in terms of aerial artistry, especially with how much special effects have advanced since 1986.

Last month in fact, a film crew from Paramount Pictures was aboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) the same time the Navy began launching F-35C jets off the ship interchangeably with F/A-18E/F Super Hornets as an integrated air wing.